Left Holding The Baby
by KMaccy
Summary: Everyone knows a baby changes everything… And that's exactly what it does to Elliot Grey. He goes from high school student to single Dad. When there's a knock on the door he's left holding the baby… Literally. This is a first time story for me so please review as I am unsure I will continue this if no one likes it, thanks. K x
1. Chapter 1

The Grey's were gathered around the dining room table enjoying their evening meal. Mia chatted excitedly about a new dress that she wanted whilst Grace listened intently. Elliot was shoving his food down his throat as quickly as possible, Carrick was flicking through the day's papers and Christian was as quiet as usual.

After Mia finishes chatting silence crept upon the table again. Grace looked around, all of her children and her husband now distracted. She sighed to herself before pushing her food around her plate. Every meal time she felt as though her children didn't need her anymore. It was times like this she really saw how grown up and independent they were. Elliot almost 17 and had his own social life meaning he was hardly ever home. Christian had just turned 15 and was so closed off. Grace worried a lot about him. Mia was now 10 and her personality had just blossomed. She really was a force to be reckoned with.

A knock on the dining room door disturbed the family as all of their heads popped up. One of their security men entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt your meal but there's a young girl at the front door and she's adamant she won't leave until she's seen Elliot." He said, his eyes quickly drifting to Elliot.

"Show her in please Harvey," Grace said smiling. She stood up and brushed her skirt off preparing for their guest.

A young brunette girl walked in, her arms clutching a bundle of blankets. Elliot quickly stood up, obviously recognising her.

"Beth, what are you doing here?" he asked. He hadn't seen her for almost 7 months after she decided she didn't want him in her life anymore.

"Please don't hate me," She whimpered. "But I can't do this."

She walked over to him and passed the bundle into his arms. He peered into the cap at the top of the blankets and gasped. A small face was huddled in the blankets, completely at peace whilst they slept. He stared at the baby before looking back up at his ex-fling. He could tell by the pained expression in her eyes that she was having an internal battle. She loved her baby like a mother should, but she just couldn't be a young mother.

"Don't let her go into care. She deserves so much more. She deserves everything you can give her." Her voice catching as she stroked the baby's cheek.

She turned to the rest of the family who were gaping at the situation before them. She reached into her bag and placed a manila envelope in front of Carrick. He didn't need to ask what was inside, he just nodded slightly. She glanced once more at her baby before making her way out of the door.

Once she had disappeared Elliot stared down at his daughter. Tears welled up in his eyes as he realised what had just happened. He wasn't ready to be a father. He was only 16. His eyes directed to the person he needed the most right now. His voice came out like a broken child's.

"Mum."

Elliot stared at his mother, his body in a state of shock. He needed help, he needed his Mum. But Grace just stared right back at him. She couldn't believe this. Her boy, her baby boy was a father. She knew he was popular with girls but she never knew he was having sex.

Elliot took cautious steps towards Grace. He was petrified of dropping the baby. Once in front of her he gestured his arms forward. Grace snapped out of her shocked state and took the baby into her expert hands. She took a peek at the still sleeping baby and then back at her eldest son. His eyes still glistened with tears as he shook his head.

"No. She can't do this to me. She can't." His voice trembled as he continued to shake his head. He then turned and ran through the door into the hallway. Carrick shouted after him but he ran towards the front door. He burst through the large oak door and came out on the front porch steps.

"Beth!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. His eyes searched frantically for her down the long drive way but she was no where to be seen. He jumped down the steps onto the gravel drive way. He continued to run until he reached the large iron gates at the end of the driveway. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he caught his breath. His eyes darted around once again but he couldn't find her.

Beth! Don't you dare do this to me! No!" He screamed once again as his tears finally fell from his eyes. His legs gave in and he sank to the floor, his arms still clutching the gate.

He sat on the floor and started sobbing. He couldn't do this. He didn't want to do this. He was always so careful; he made sure protection was used. Why didn't she tell him?! How could she keep a secret like this from him?! He had so many things he wanted to do. Finish high school, college, get a job and meet a nice girl. Then he was going to have kids. Not now.

Elliot didn't know how long he was sat out there for but he eventually heard someone's feet crunching against the gravel that covered the driveway. A hand ran through his blonde curly hair. He knew automatically who it was. He'd recognise that soft touch anywhere.

"Mummy," he whimpered. He felt two arms wrap around him and he leant into her touch.

"I'm here sweet boy. You stupid sweet boy." She whispered as she clutched her son closer to her chest. She sat there with him for a while, stroking his hair and rocking him back and forth whilst he wept.

When she started to lose feeling in her knees she gently pushed Elliot away.

"Come on. We can't sit out here all night. There's a tiny baby girl waiting for you." She said softly as she pushed herself up gracefully. She held her hands out for him and he took them. He clutched his mother's hand as they walked back up the driveway, back towards his new born daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you everyone so much for your lovely reviews. I've decided I will continue this story but you will have to bare with me. I have just started university but I will try and post a chapter every 2-3 days and if not definitely once a week. Thanks again. K x**

Elliot stood in the door way of the living room. His mother walked around the room gently rocking the crying baby that was currently claw her hands at her blouse. The baby had started crying when Elliot and Grace had returned to the house and hadn't stopped since. As soon as Grace walked into the house she started reeling of items she needed to the nearest security officer. She expertly told him what she needed and also told him to get it to her as soon as possible. She didn't care that it was past 9 at night. That baby needed things and Grace would be damned if she didn't provide for her.

Half an hour later the security officer was yet to return and the tiny tot had become very distressed. She needed changing and Grace was pretty sure she needed feeding as well. Grace had tried everything to get her to calm but nothing was working.

Elliot continued to stare at his stressed mother and his crying daughter. He jumped with shock when a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see his father stood behind him, a stern look on his face.

"That is your daughter. Go and take her off your mother and calm her." Carrick said in an authoritive voice.

"I…"

"Don't even think of giving me some bullshit excuse as to why you can't do it. If you're old enough to have sex then you're damn well old enough to take care of your responsibility. Take note of the 'your' Elliot. Your mother has spent her day doing a 12 hour shift at the hospital. She does not need to come home to take care of a baby that is not hers. Now move before I kick you into that room."

Elliot turned white as he was scolded by his father. He knew he was in big trouble when his father swore at him but he knew he was in even bigger trouble when he threatened him with physical violence. He looked down at the floor and played with his hands.

"Now Elliot!" Carrick snapped shoving him forwards slightly. Elliot moved into the living room and took small steps to where Grace was currently pacing. Grace turned to him and flicked a piece of hair out of her face. Elliot had never seen her this stressed. Usually she was well kept but now her hair was falling down out of the neat French twist and her cheeks were flushed from the pacing.

"What Elliot? Now is not a good time. I've given you comfort but the baby needs me more right now." She said slightly frustrated. Elliot hated it when she was mad at him. He knew he needed to do something, even if he was scared.

He leant forwards and placed his hand behind the baby's head. Grace took this as the sign that he wanted to hold his daughter. She passed the sobbing tot to her son and helped him position the baby so she would be comfortable but supported. She then stepped backwards, stretching her arms slightly.

She watched Elliot get comfortable holding the baby and he then slowly started stepping from side to side and bouncing his arms at the same time. The baby's cries still echoed through out the room and it was obvious her throat was getting sore.

Elliot looked up at his mother for reassurance he was doing the right thing. She nodded slightly and gave him a half smile. Elliot continued to bounce his arms but he started walking around the room, just like his mother had been doing a few minutes before. Grace stepped backwards until she was stood in the door way. Her and her son had now switched positions.

Carrick stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around his wife's waist. They both watched as Elliot carried on trying to comfort his daughter who was still crying. He then started humming to her in the tune of Twinkle Twinkle. The humming soon turned into singing and Elliot repeated the song over and over.

All three of them were surprised to hear the baby's cries soon turn into whimpers and then it went silent. Elliot looked down and saw two bright blue eyes staring back at him. His little girl was clinging to his shirt and was staring up at him. He stopped singing and bouncing her and just stared back. Soon enough her eyes drifted shut and she fell back asleep.

Elliot carefully stepped towards the couch, trying his hardest not to wake her. He sat down and pushed himself to the back. He settled down, still clutching the baby to his chest. Once he had gotten comfortable he just stared at her. He was fascinated by her. Regardless of how scared he was she was still his baby girl. Looking at her closely he saw she resembled him. She had the same nose as him and lip shape. He had also just found out she had his eyes. Beth had brown eyes so they were definitely his.

Grace walked towards him but he shot his head up towards her. He shook his head, telling her he wanted to keeping hold the baby.

"Please, just a little longer." He whispered. Grace nodded and walked out of the room, closing the door over.

As soon as the door clicked shut she fell into her husband's chest. The sobs shook her body as her fingers clung to the lapels on Carrick's suit jacket. Carrick understood how she was feeling and just held her close. Their boy had gotten himself into some situation. They had done everything in their power to protect him from different types of danger. But they never thought to protect him from being a teenage parent. They'd let him down.

As Grace continued to sob Christian sat on the stairs peering through the banister. He hated to see his Mother like this. She had rescued him and he was forever grateful for that. He never wanted to see her hurt yet here she was crying her heart out. Christian's fists clenched as he thought of his idiotic brother. How could he do this to her?! To the whole family?! His brother was going to pay for this. He'd make sure of it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Once again thank you for your reviews, reads and follows. I know this is my third update today but I started writing this a few weeks ago so have a few chapters ready which I am just proof reading when I get the chance and then posting straight away. I'd just like to point out that this story is based on Elliot but I will be involving other things, such as Christian and Elena, as I want to stick closely to the original book as much as possible. Although I know it will have some differences as Elliot doesn't have a teenage daughter in the book. **

"Mummy! Daddy!"

The piercing scream of her daughter startled Grace. She had just settled the baby into her new Moses basket she had gotten the night before. She glanced at the baby to check she was still asleep before running out of her bedroom.

As she quickly moved down the stairs she heard Mia crying loudly as well as crashes and bangs. She followed the noise into the living room and covered her mouth at the sight before her.

Mia was huddled behind the footrest of the couch crying and covering her head with her arms. She looked petrified and for a good reason. Elliot and Christian were brawling around the living room. Punches were being thrown quickly as they shoved each other into cabinets and walls.

Christian grabbed his brother's shoulders and pushed him into the cabinet next to the couch and Elliot's back smashed through the glass. Christian snarled at him before punching him in the nose. Mia cried harder as she curled herself into a tighter ball to protect herself from the glass the fell over her.

"Carrick! Somebody help!" Grace screamed as she ran towards her sons. She was careful not to be hit and she grabbed Christian's arm. She pulled it but was shoved backwards. She tried again but this time grabbed Elliot's arm. She kept her firm grip stopping Elliot from hitting his brother.

"Boys stop! Please! You're scaring Mia! Please!" She pleaded but it didn't stop them. They continued to fight; Elliot kicked his brother away from him and threw himself at him. They both fell to the floor where Christian quickly got the upper hand and straddled Elliot. He rained punch after punch on his brother's face not caring about his mother's cries or the blood pouring from his brother's face.

It wasn't until two pairs of arms grabbed Christian by his shoulders and pulled him away. He quickly pushed them off him and stepped back away from his brother who was lying on the floor. Harvey, the security guard, held his arms up motioning Christian to move further back and stayed in front of Christian just in case. Christian's eyes burnt with rage as he watched his brother. He wanted to kill him for the hurt he caused their mother. She deserved better than that and Elliot got everything he deserved.

The silence of the room was disturbed by Mia starting to cry again. Carrick looked behind the footrest and saw her huddled there. He took quick strides from Elliot's side where he scooped up his shaking daughter. He held her close as he shushed her tears. Noticing that she wasn't calming he looked down to see blood on her arms. She had several cuts along each arm from where the glass had hit her skin. Carrick's anger increased as he realised his sons had hurt his baby girl as well as each other.

"Gracie, Mia needs her arms cleaning up," he said quietly so he didn't startle his little girl who was still sobbing in his arms. Grace quickly nodded and took Mia from Carrick. She rushed from the room to clean up her wounds leaving Carrick alone with his sons and employee.

"Harvey, thank you for your help but I can take it from here." He said calmly.

"Mr Grey, Sir. I think it would be wise if I stayed, in case of another fight." Harvey said as he eyed Christian and Elliot.

"That won't be necessary. I don't think either of them would dare start anything or it might be the last thing they did." The anger in his voice seeped through. Harvey hesitated but noticed his boss was not to be messed with right now. He nodded and left the room, but not before glancing back once more.

"Both of you get up and get into my study right now!" He shouted. Elliot pulled himself off the floor and held his hand up to his nose which was still bleeding. Both of the boys walked out of the destroyed living room and across the hallway into their father's study. They each sat in a chair in front of his desk. They both knew they were in big trouble. Carrick only ever spoke to them in his study when they had done something wrong. They normally left the study being grounded but they knew this time a simple grounding wouldn't be enough.

Carrick stormed into his office 10 minutes later with a small hand towel in his hand. As he walked past Elliot he shoved the towel into his chest and sat behind his desk.

"For your nose." He muttered as he moved things off his desk into different drawers. Elliot took the towel and pressed it to his nose to stop the bleeding that was current running down his chin and onto his black t-shirt.

After Carrick had finished cleaning his desk he clasped his hands and rested his arms on his desk. He looked down at his fingers and started taking deep breathes. This went on for 5 minutes before Elliot spoke up.

"Dad…"

Carrick looked up and pointed his finger directly at Elliot.

"Don't you dare talk to me right now. I am giving myself the chance to calm down because the state of mind I was in when I walked into the study I would have beaten both you and your brother for that display!" He snapped causing his oldest son to sink into his chair.

Carrick took another deep breathe before looking back at his sons. Elliot looked scared as he held the towel to his nose. He looked over to Christian who was sat with a look of anger on his face. His arms were crossed across his chest and his fists were clenched. When he noticed his father looking at him he narrowed his eyes and put an aggressive look on his face.

"I'd wipe that look of your face son before it gets you into more trouble than you are already in." Carrick said in a low voice. Christian looked away from his father but continued to sulk.

"I want to know what happened and I better be told the truth. Because if I'm not I will find out and both of you will be sorry." Their father said as he laid his hands on his desk. Neither of the boys said anything.

"Let's put it in this way then. If somebody doesn't speak up now I will be calling the police and having both of you arrested. Regardless of whether you live here or not this is my house, and I do not expect that type of behaviour. You destroyed my furniture and you have also injured my daughter. Now get talking or am I going to pick up the phone." Carrick growled.

"I was sat in the living room with Mia watching some stupid show that she likes. Mum was feeding the baby and all of a sudden this idiot comes in and attacks me," Elliot says through the towel still pressed to his face. Christian lets out a small growl when his brother calls him an idiot.

"I attacked him because of what he's done. He's completely ruined this family. I saw Mum last night; she was in such a state. How could he do that to the woman who rescued him?! He deserved everything he got." Christian shouted as he jumped out of his seat. Elliot jumped up and pressed his chest against Christian's.

"You want to talk about upsetting Mum and ruining this family?! How about every time you get into a fight it makes Mum cry! You're a hypocrite!" He shouted as he shoved his younger brother back. Christian went to raise his fist, preparing himself to beat his brother again.

"Enough!" A shout startled them both. They turned to find their Mother stood in the open doorway of the study. She walked into the room and pushed the boys apart.

"I have had enough fighting in this house today to last me a life time. I am disgusted in the both of you. Mia has just cried herself to sleep while I cleaned her arms up and it is both of your faults!" She shouted turning her head between her sons.

"Christian I understand you are angry at Elliot for upsetting me. And I appreciate your desire to protect me. But you went about it the completely wrong way. I am tired of your fighting. I'm calling your therapist and asking for an emergency session as you obviously aren't controlling your anger like you told us." She said calmly, noticing the look of upset on Christian's face when she mentioned his therapist. She then turned to Elliot who was staring down at his feet.

"You have majorly screwed up. I can't believe you were so stupid to get a girl pregnant. I don't even know you anymore. I am so disappointed in you." She said as she shook her head slightly. Her words hit Elliot hard as his eyes filled up and his bottom lip started to tremble.

"I'm so sorry Mum." He whispered.

"Maybe this time sorry isn't enough, I want you to go and pack a bag." She whimpered softly. It was breaking her heart but she couldn't look at her eldest son anymore.

"What?" Elliot said in shock. She was really kicking him out?

"You're going to stay with your Grandparents. I just can't have you here right now, so please go and pack a bag." Elliot walked out of his father's study, feeling rejected and abandoned. "


	4. Chapter 4

**Last update of the day guys as I am going to get ready for Fresher's night. But I have one or two more chapters ready to go after this so they will be up at some point tomorrow. K x**

**Elliot walked up the stairs of his home and started walking towards his bedroom. He heard a door creek behind him and he looked back. He saw Mia peering out of her room, both of her arms wrapped up in bandages. **

"Hey Mia. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Elliot said softly as he slowly approached his little sister. As he got closer to her Mia closed the door. She didn't want to see either of her brothers right now. Elliot's heart broke as he saw the look of fear on his sister's face before she closed the door on his. He knocked on the door slightly and called her name again. The sound of the lock being turned destroyed him.

He once again felt rejected as he walked away from his sister's bedroom, tears falling down his face for the second time in the last two days. He was losing everyone he loved and he just couldn't take it. As he walked past his parent's bedroom he heard a slight cry. He peered his head into the bedroom and saw the Moses basket placed next to his parent's bed.

Elliot knew he wasn't allowed in this room but this was his daughter. No one was going to ban him from seeing her, regardless of whether he wanted her or not. He still hadn't decided. Beth was right; he could give her so much more than a life in care. But he was only 16; he didn't know the first thing about being a father.

He looked into the basket and saw the baby wide awake. Her eyes trained on him as soon as he came into her eye sight. He smiled at her before reaching his hands down. Once she was settled in his arms he kissed her head.

"Hello gorgeous girl. How are you today?" He asked softly. A thought suddenly occurred to him. What was her name? Or did she not have one yet? That wasn't right. He was her father and he didn't know her name. Hell, he didn't even know how old she was. She was tiny in his arms so he assumed she couldn't have been more than 2 weeks old.

Elliot shook his head out of disgust with himself. How could he not know the simple things about his daughter? He needed to sort his head out so he could care for this little girl who was currently attempting to suck on his t-shirt.

"Are you hungry baby girl?" He asked as he stood up. He walked out of the bedroom and downstairs into the kitchen. His mother was stood pulling something out of the fridge when she heard him come in. as she turned to him she looked surprised.

"Why have you got the baby? You're not supposed to be in our bedroom." She scolded. Her face was void of any emotion. This hurt Elliot as his mother was always so caring, even when he got into trouble. But this time, nothing. It was like she didn't love him anymore.

"She needs a bottle. I went in to check on her when I heard her crying. And she's my daughter. No one can keep her from me, not you or anyone else." He snapped back. He may have been hurt by his mother's lack of emotion but he wasn't about to go grovelling from her affection again. She wanted to shut him out then fine, but the baby was going with him.

"Pass her here and I'll sort the bottle for her." She said as she wiped her hands on her apron and walked towards Elliot. He stepped back away from her, holding the baby closer to him.

"No, I can do it myself. I just need you to show me how that's all. I want to be able to care for her myself if she's coming with me."

"What are you talking about? She's staying here with me so she can be looked after properly." Elliot laughed to himself slightly as his mother said this.

"You think I can't look after her properly? She's my daughter and where I go she goes. I'm not leaving her here, end of story. Now are you going to show me how to make a bottle or are you going to let her starve?" He asked. His mother looked shocked at his last remark.

"How dare you speak to me like that? I am your mother and you will show me some respect Elliot Grey!" She shouted, attracting the attention of Carrick who walked into the kitchen, newspaper under his arm.

"I will show you some respect when you start treating me like your son again. I'm not just someone you can throw out when I'm unwanted. I've been through that once in my life! That's how I ended up here! I know I've screwed up big time! But I'm scared! Can't you see that?! I'm scared and all I need right now is my Mum's help, but you've just thrown me out like a piece of trash! I want to be a good Dad to my daughter! And I know that's what you want to; you'd never forgive me if I abandoned her. But how am I supposed to do it on my own? I need your help!" He shouted. It was then he realised he'd startled the baby and she was whimpering in his arms. He rocked her gently and she quietened down. He looked back up and saw tears streaming down Grace's face.

"Can you just show me how to make her a bottle please? Then I'll go and pack our stuff and we'll be out of your house, just like you want." He mumbled.

"Fine, here." Grace whispered as she motioned Elliot to join her at the kitchen side.

After the bottle had been made Elliot wondered into his father's study, the baby in his arms and a bottle in his hand which the baby was greedily sucking on. Carrick looked up and saw his son approach him slowly. He looked at him expectantly.

"I just want to know if she has a name. I know Beth passed you any documents related to her in that envelope. And to be honest I'm tired of calling her 'baby'." Elliot said as he settled in the chair opposite his father. He made sure the baby was still feeding before diverting his attention back to his father. Carrick cleared his throat before reaching into his desk and pulled out the manila envelope Beth had passed him.

"Her name is Lily Elizabeth Grey. From the background check I had done on Beth last night Lily and Elizabeth are the names of her grandmothers. Her surname was recently changed to Grey, I assume under the intention of having you care for her. She is 3 weeks old and she was born on the 17th of January. She weighed 5lbs 11oz when she was born and stayed in hospital for a week due to the umbilical cord being wrapped around her throat at birth and the medical staff had trouble reviving her. She's been under the care of Beth's mother for the past 2 weeks but when her mother decided to elope and marry her new boyfriend she left the baby with Beth. Beth decided she couldn't cope and brought her here. According to the information I received a few hours ago Beth has now left the country to go live in England with her father who she has recently came in contact with." Carrick said, his eyes trained on the documents in front of him the whole time. Elliot nodded slightly at the information before looking down at the baby.

"Lily? Beautiful name for a beautiful girl, hey princess?" He then looked back up at his father.

"So she's really left me to do this on my own?" Carrick nodded slightly.

"Okay, thank you. I'll be taking my own truck to Grandma's. Does she know I'm coming?" He asked as he stood up.

"Yes, she's prepared the spare room for you and Lily. Elliot please reconsider leaving Lily here. Your mother knows how to care for babies. She'll be able to give her the care she needs." Carrick pleaded. He knew it would break Grace to have the baby taken from her and she'd be constantly worried that Elliot isn't taking care of her properly.

"I'm taking her with me. How would you feel if you were in my place and it was Mia? She's my little girl Dad. I know I'm not going to be the best Dad, I don't know the first thing about how to look after a baby but I'm going to learn. I bet half the guys out there don't know how to look after a baby but that changes when they become a Dad. I'm not leaving her behind." Elliot said sternly before going to walk out of the study.

"She needs winding." He turned to look back at his Dad. He then looked down at Lily who had finished her bottle and was lightly sleeping. Elliot opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it. He didn't know how to wind her.

"Here. Sit down, I'll show you." Carrick walked around his desk to the chair Elliot had just been sat in. Elliot sat down with the baby and Carrick gently lifted her. He then placed her against Elliot's chest so her chin was resting on his shoulder.

"Put your hand under her bum and support her." Elliot did as he was told and his Dad then placed his other hand on her back.

"Rub her back and every now and then give her back a slightly slap. Not too hard but enough to get her wind up." He said softly as he started moving his sons hand in circles on his Granddaughters back. Elliot carried on winding her and started lightly slapping her on the back. After a minute Lily let out her wind before settling back to sleep on her Dad's shoulder.

"There you go. You need to do that every time she's had a bottle and make sure she gets her wind up. If not it can give her a bad tummy and she definitely won't like that." Elliot nodded and looked up at his Dad.

"Thank you Dad." He said quietly before standing up. He then wrapped his arm around his Dad's shoulder and gave him a hug. Carrick took a shaky breathe in before hugging his son back.

"I don't hate you Elliot. Please don't think that. And your mother doesn't hate you either. But you are still our little boy, and now finding out you're a Dad is a big shock to us. We're both in shock and that's why we think it would be easier for you to stay with your Grandparents for a little bit. To let us come to terms with what's happened and to cool off. We'll get together soon and talk this through properly. But until then please make sure Lily is looked after. Your Grandma will help you but remember she's your daughter. You need to look after her more than anyone else." He patted his son on the back and gave his Granddaughter a quick kiss on the head before pulling back.

"I'd never let her down Dad." Elliot said before walking out of the study.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hope you like this update. I'm quite excited about doing this story and it always makes me smile when people review. I just wanted to say, as this is something that has come up in a review, that I will be portraying Grace slightly differently in this story. I hope everyone likes it. K x**

Elliot had just finished putting the last of Lily's things in the back of his truck. He'd been given it as a 16th birthday present when he got his licence. He'd worked hard at a local diner and paid for his own driving lessons so his parent's thought he'd earned the truck as a birthday present. They didn't want to spoil him too much so got him a 1953 Chevrolet Pickup Truck. He cleaned it up and spent a few weeks with his Dad checking over the engine so he could drive it. This truck had been his baby for the past 8 months, but now he had a new baby that would share his life.

He put the back up and pulled a plastic sheet over everything. He didn't want any of Lily's things to get damaged or wet in case it rained. After he'd secured the plastic sheet he grabbed the car seat and with the help of a security guard he fitted it into the front seat.

When everything was done he walked back into the house to find his daughter. It was getting to 3pm and she was due a feed soon. He wanted to get to his Grandparent's soon so he could settle her in a new environment so she wouldn't be so upset waking somewhere new. He found Lily in the arms of his mother in the living room. She was cooing over her, kissing her head and cuddling her to her chest.

"Don't worry baby girl. Your Daddy will bring you home to see me very soon. I will miss you so much. I love you Lily-pad." She whispered in Lily's ear. Elliot smiled to himself when he heard what his mother called his daughter. When Grace looked up and saw her son waiting her face dropped.

"You sure you want to take her with you?" Grace asked, her eyes pleading for Elliot to change his mind. Her heart dropped when he nodded his head. She had hoped he'd say she could stay but Elliot wasn't changing his mind. She was his daughter, not hers so she should be with him.

"Well she's due her feed at 4 and every four hours after that. She's far too young to be eating any solids so just stick to the formula milk. And remember to make the bottle properly and don't let her take in any air from the bottle, she'll get stomach ache. She was feeling a little warm before so keep an eye on that and call me if she does become ill and I'll come and pick her up. She'll need a change of diaper when you get there. She'll probably sleep after her 8 o'clock feed so try and stick to that being her bed time. Getting her into a routine now will make it easier for you." His mother rambled on as she stroked Lily's head.

"Mum, she's staying with me. I've told you this. We'll be fine." Elliot said as he took his daughter into his arms. Grace kissed the baby's head one last time before resting her hand on her son's cheek.

"We'll fix this. I love you." She said as she started tearing up.

"I love you too Mum. We best get going. Tell Mia I'm sorry yeah? I didn't mean to scare her." Grace nodded as she walked her son outside to his truck. He fastened Lily in before letting his Mum say goodbye again. He jumped into the driver's seat and started up the engine. The noise made Lily jump and she let out a cry.

"Don't worry Lily. Its just Daddy's truck. We're going on an adventure." Elliot cooed while he stroked her hand. She settled quickly before looking around at her new surroundings. He pulled down the drive way and made his way to the main gate. As he approached the gate he heard his name being called. He put the handbrake on before looking out of his wing mirror. Mia was sprinting down the drive way towards his truck. He jumped out and caught her in his arms.

"Please don't leave. I don't hate you. I'm sorry. Don't leave because I hate you because I don't hate you Lelliot. I love you." She cried as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He picked her up and let her cling to him.

"I'm not leaving because you hate me Mia. I'm just taking Lily for a little break at Grandma's that's all. Remember when you were little and you were naughty. And Mum made you take a time out on the stairs. She used to say it was so she could cool off and you could think about what you had done. Well this is my time out. I'm gonna go think about me and Lily and Mum is gonna cool off for a bit. I'll be back before you know it. And you can come and see me and Lily any time you want." He calmed her whilst stroking her hair.

"I'll come tomorrow after school. And I can play with Lily right?" She pulled away from his neck and looked him in the eyes.

"Of course you can Mia-monkey. Any time you want. Now you better get back to the house. Lily needs a feed soon so we have to get to Grandma's." He put her down on the floor and gave her a kiss and a hug.

"Mia come on, let's go." He looked up and saw Christian stood with his hand out to Mia. Mia walked over to him and took his hand. Elliot and Christian stood looking at each other. It was obvious they were both still angry with each other. But they were brothers and even if Christian still wanted to beat him Elliot wanted to make it right. Elliot walked over to Christian but saw Mia cling to his leg.

"No more fighting." She cried out.

"I'm not gonna fight him Mia." Elliot mumbled before pulling his brother into an embrace.

"I don't care if you're still angry at me. You're my brother and I love you. We'll talk when I get back." He whispered to Christian. He let go before walking back to his truck. Before he jumped in he looked back at Christian.

"When you get back." Christian said before smiling slightly. He then picked Mia up and walked back to the house. Elliot jumped back into his truck and drove out of the gate. He switched the radio on and turned the volume down enough so he could hear it but it wouldn't upset Lily. When he heard a gurgle he glanced at Lily. She had shoved her hand in her mouth and was chewing.

"You like this song baby girl? Me too." He turned the volume up slightly before concentrating on the road in front of him. He wouldn't call himself a dangerous driver but he noticed how cautious he was driving. He figured it must have been because of Lily being with him. He felt the compulsion to keep her safe. He guessed that's what all Dad's felt like with their children.

Lily drifted off to sleep after 5 minutes in the truck. Elliot smiled slightly when he heard her let out a little snore. She obviously got that from him as he'd been told by Mia she could hear him snore from 4 rooms away. When he reached his Grandma's house he turned off the engine, only to have Lily whimper and then start crying. Not knowing what to do, he turned the engine back on. This soothed her back to sleep. She must have like the vibrations of the engine and it rocked her to sleep. He sat in the truck on his Grandparent's driveway for 15 minutes with the engine running. When he saw it was nearly 4 he decided to switch the engine off. She would have to wake for her feed soon anyway. Lily let out a loud cry and started moving her arms and legs around in protest of her disturbed sleep.

"Enough of this Lily. We need to get out of the truck." Elliot whispered to her as he kissed her forehead. He jumped out of the truck and quickly ran to her side. The sounds of her crying hit a weak spot inside Elliot, he couldn't stand it. He never wanted to hear his baby girl cry. He scooped her out of the car seat and held her close to his chest. He bobbed her up and down and sang softly to her to calm her, but it wasn't working.

The front door of his Grandparent's home opened and his Grandma looked outside. She looked surprised when she saw her Grandson cuddling the baby. He looked like a natural. She walked down towards him and gently stroked the baby's back.

"I think she's hungry. I'll have to make her a bottle. I should have gotten here sooner. She wouldn't be crying if I had." Elliot blurted out, obviously distressed by his inability to calm his daughter.

"Calm down sweetheart. When your mother was younger she screamed the street down waiting for a bottle. It's what baby's do my dear. You've done nothing wrong." She said in the kind voice that calmed Elliot automatically. He had always been close to his Grandma and she always managed to reason with him and get through to him when no one else could. She placed her hand on his back and steered him towards the house.


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry this chapter took a few days. Things have been crazy starting university and I've been trying desperately to get it done. I know it may not be the best but here it is finally :) K x**

Elliot battled with Lily to try and keep her feeding off the bottle. It was time for her feed so he knew she was hungry yet she continued to scream, no matter what Elliot did. He told himself over and over that he could be a good Dad if he tried but he was beginning to have the small voice in the back of his head telling him he couldn't do it. As five minutes turned into ten minutes which then turned into 20 minutes he saw red. He always tried to control his temper, he wasn't like Christian. But he just couldn't do it.

"For God's sake Lily! Just eat the God damn food!" He snapped, slamming the bottle down on the table. This caused Lily to scream louder, her throat obviously becoming sore.

"Elliot she's a baby, don't snap at her like that." His Grandma scolded.

"No she needs to learn, she has to eat properly." Elliot snapped back. He hated snapping at his Grandma but he didn't want his daughter to go hungry. He stopped to take a few deep breathes and that's when he realised just how distressed Lily was. Something was obviously wrong and he didn't realise. Elliot automatically felt guilty. He said he never wanted to see his daughter cry yet he was the one making her cry.

"I'm sorry Lily. I'm so sorry sweet girl." He grovelled as he held her closer to his chest, wrapped in his large arms. It broke Elliot's heart even more to know that he couldn't console her. .

"Grandma, I think something is wrong. Can you check her for me please?" He asked, holding her out. He needed a break from her cries. It was just too much. After passing Lily over he stepped out of the living room.

"I can do this. I can do this." He chanted as he paced up and down the hallway.

"What if I can't do this?"He whispered to himself before hanging his head and rubbing the back of his neck.

"That was exactly what I said to myself when your mother was being born." His Grandfather's voice startled him. He spun round and found him leant against the door frame.

"Come on son. Let's go get some fresh air." His Grandfather steered him towards the back door into the yard. As they walked outside his Grandfather but his hand on Elliot's back. Even though it was a simple gesture it was what Elliot needed. Support and guidance. They sat on the bench just outside the back door and looked out over the yard. After several minutes his Grandfather took a deep breathe.

"You messed up kid." Elliot hung his head.

"I know. I'm so sorry Gramps..."

"You don't need to apologise to me. In fact you don't need to apologise to anyone. It wasn't entirely your fault, the mother was involved in this as well. But you are stepping up for that little girl and I have great admiration for you. I was 21 when my Gracie was born and I felt like I couldn't be a father in any way. Yet here you are at just 16 doing everything you can to love and care for your daughter. I'm proud to call you my Grandson." The last seven words hit Elliot hard. He put his head in his hands and cried.

"How could she do this to us? How could she just hand her to me and walk away? I would do anything for Lily and I've only had her a day. I wanted to do so much with my life and now I can't. I love my daughter but this isn't what I wanted. And now I have to explain to Lily why her mother isn't here! How do I tell my baby girl her mother didn't want her?! I know how that feels and it is crushing! Not only my birth mother but now Mum as well. She just kicked me out and then tried to take Lily away from me. I can't let her have Lily Gramps, if I lose everyone else Lily is the only family I will have!" Elliot sobbed into his hands as he poured out his deepest fears. He didn't want Lily to go through what he did. Being taken from your mother at a young age is scarring, regardless of whether they want you or not.

"What if I let her down?" He whispered admitting defeat. Nothing was going to stop him from caring for his daughter, but what if she was taken from him because he couldn't care her?

"Elliot wipe your eyes and sit up!" His Grandfather snapped. He did as he was told but couldn't shake off the feeling of failure.

"You need to get over this. I will sort things with your mother, don't worry about that. You need to stop wallowing in self pity. I know you're going through a hard time but man up. If you keep feeling sorry for yourself then Lily is going to suffer. She needs you more than anyone right now. You're never going to be a perfect Dad, so don't waste your time trying. Just be the best you can. As long as your daughter feels safe and loved with you, then hell you've done a better job than half the dead beat Dad's out there." Elliot nodded slowly whilst wiping his face.

"Do you mind if I go and find Lily? I just need to hold her right now." He asked his Grandfather who told him that wasn't a problem. He got up off the bench and walked back into the house. He noticed he could no longer hear the sound of his daughter screaming. When he walked into the living room a smile spread across his face. Lily was lay in her Moses basket waving her hand around with her eyes wide open.

"She has a small bit of nappy rash. She was wet and it must have been stinging." His Grandmother explained. Elliot's face dropped. There was something wrong?

"Is she going to be okay? Should I call my Mum?" He gushed out as he reached for the baby and held her close to him, worried she was hurt.

"It's not a problem dear. It is very common, most babies get it. I've put a small amount of cream on to soothe it. She'll be fine in a few days as long as you change her regularly and you keep applying the cream." She put her hand on his cheek and lightly stroked it, calming him.

"You did nothing wrong Elliot. I mean it. You're a fantastic father, these things happen. Don't you worry yourself about this. I'll give you some time alone." She smiled sweetly before walking towards the kitchen.


	7. Chapter 7

**I know this chapter is a little different to the others but I feel like this is an important chapter to the story. I have a different view of Grace to a lot of others and I just wanted to try and get this across in this chapter. I also wanted to concentrate slightly on Grace's parent, who Elliot are currently staying with as they are also going to be a big part of this story and also a very big support to Elliot with Lily. Thanks for reading and please review if you can as I love seeing your views of the story. I also accept constructive critism but please don't be mean. This is my story and my imagination so if you don't like it then it's very easy to just not read it. Thanks :) K x**

Theo wondered into his bedroom after consoling his Grandson. He hated seeing him like this. He had always felt close to his Grandchildren, even more so because they were adopted. He knew they all came back from bad backgrounds and felt a protective need of a Grandfather to keep them safe. He wanted them to look back in many years and smile at the memory of him.

He settled himself on the edge of his marital bed and pick up the phone off the bedside cabinet. After a few rings a voice sounded on the other end.

"Grey residence. Grace speaking." He smiled slightly at how formal she was whenever she answered the phone.

"Gracie, it's Dad."

"Dad? Is everything okay? Is Lily okay?" She gushed out.

"Everything is fine. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay, well I'm free at the moment so talk away." He could hear rustling on the other end, he presumed she was sitting down.

"Well what I wanted to ask was what the hell is going through that head of yours Gracie Trevelyan?"

"Dad..."

"Don't you dare interrupt me young lady. Your eldest son needed you today and where is now hey? In my house because you kicked him out. I am absolutely disgusted in how you have handled this situation. Explain yourself." There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds before the sounds of sniffling could be heard.

"Don't try and cry your way out of this one Grace. The people suffering here is Elliot and Lily. Yet you're sat there like this is hard on you. I know what you're like and you're not going to pull your crap this time. The world doesn't revolve around you Grace."

"He's 16 Dad! He's not ready to be a father. I was doing him a favour by taking Lily. I could look after her better and he wouldn't be burdened with the responsibility. Can't you see that?"

"No. What I can see is you trying to be the big hero as always. I hate to say it Grace but you love the limelight and you always have. Be proud of Elliot that he has stepped up. He is struggling, I won't try and hide it. But he is giving a damn good go. He needs his mother's support. Out of all the people in the world I never thought you'd be the one to try and take that little girl away from him." He shook his head to himself slightly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She said with a slightly raised voice.

"I remember every single one of those phone calls Gracie. And every single one was the same. You and Carrick tried so hard for your own child."

"Daddy don't." Grace whispered. She knew exactly where this was going and she didn't want to hear it.

"Tough luck. You need a reality check and here it is. Every single time you lost that baby growing inside of you, who did you call? Me. Because you needed your Daddy. And every single time I was there on the other end of the phone, whether it was 2 in the morning or 4 in the afternoon. After every phone call I would get in that car and come to your house, even if you told me not to. Because that's what parents do, they are there for their children. You struggled so much and then you adopted. And you found Elliot. If you tried so hard to be a Mum why aren't you being one?"

"I'll come over." She said quietly.

"No, don't bother. I said it to Elliot before and I'll say it to you now. You messed up kid. You've broken the relationship between you and your son. And turning up isn't going to solve it. You need to put a hell of lot of work into this. You might be disappointed in him, but I'm disappointed in you. I'm going to go now, and leave you to think this over. But if you turn up here Grace, I won't let you in. I mean it. Think about this first. Bye." He put the phone straight down. He hated being harsh on his daughter but it was what she needed.

He suddenly felt exhausted after dealing with this whole situation. He lifted his feet onto the bed and rested his head back against the pillow. He couldn't believe Elliot was a father. He knew he was having sex, but only because Elliot had come to him in confidence and asked for some advice. He obviously gave the advice as he knew from when he was a young boy, it doesn't matter how much you try and stop them young boys will do what they want. He even provided Elliot with condoms whenever he needed them. If he was going to do it then Theo might as well have made sure he was being safe. In the back of his mind he knew one day this would happen. But he hoped and he prayed that it wouldn't. His train of thought was interrupted when his bedroom door slowly opened.

"Theo, are you alright?"Olivia stuck her head around the door of her room to make sure her husband was okay. She knew it had been a trying day for him.

"Livvy, come lie with me for a little while." He patted the side next to him. After she had climbed on the bed he wrapped his arm around her and buried his nose in her hair. He'd always loved her hair, even now when it was turning silver. He thought that just made her like even more beautiful. Her hair always smelt of lavender, ever since they met. He had pointed out to her on their first date he liked the smell of it and since that day she had used the same shampoo, just for him. The smell was like a comfort blanket for him.

"Did you speak to Grace?" She asked as she rested her hand on his stomach.

"Unfortunately. Livvy where did we go wrong with her? She is not the sweet little girl with pig tails and a frilly dress any more. She is devious, selfish and self-centred. One of these days Carrick is going to go through with his threat and I wouldn't blame him. If she doesn't change he is going to leave her." Livvy's shoulders slumped at the thought of her daughter going through a divorce.

"Do you think the children know about their problems? It would crush them if they did, especially Christian. You know what he's like, always blaming himself. And Mia, she would be heartbroken. She is such a Daddy's girl but Grace would never let Carrick take her. And Elliot has been through too much lately to go through that as well. Oh Theo what do we do? This family is crumbling." She started to softly sob into his shoulder. He wrapped his arm tighter around his soul mate and kissed her head.

"I'd never let that happen. You know I wouldn't. Don't worry about a thing my love. I've never let you down and I never will. Promise you won't trouble yourself with this?" He asked her whilst gently lifting her chin to look at his. She nodded slightly before accepting the gentle kiss off her husband.

"Tonight will you pray with me Livvy? Pray for our girl, pray we get out Gracie back. Because she needs all the help she can get right now." Livvy nodded slightly before cuddling up closer.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm so sorry this update has taken so long but I went home on Wednesday and I don't have internet at home. K x**

"It can't be that difficult. Can it? Come on Elliot, you're 16 for heavens sake. You know how to change a diaper." He whispered to himself as he set Lily on the bed. He was tempted to put it off for another half an hour but then he remembered her nappy rash and knew it had to be done. He reached for the bag his mother had given him and pulled out a diaper, some wet wipes and also grabbed the cream his Grandmother had given him.

"Okay, we'll make a deal, I'll do this as quickly as possible if you keep still. Okay Lily?" He looked at her before laughing to himself. Did he really believe she'd nod her head or say yes? He looked down at her baby grow and frowned. How on earth did he get this thing off? He gently picked her up and looked for a zipper on the back. Nothing. After a minute or so of searching he finally found the buttons that went up the inside of Lily's legs and across the bottom of her nappy. He popped them all open and gently pulled her legs out. He stopped for a second just looking.

"No way. No way in hell her legs are that small. My thumb has a bigger width." He whispered to himself in shock. Sometimes it frightened him how small she really was. What if he broke her? He shook his head before pushing the baby grow up and out of the way of her nappy. He pulled apart the tabs on the nappy and pulled the front down. He grabbed one of the wet wipes and wiped her down making sure he got rid of all of the old cream. Lily starting crying at the cold sensation as it had shocked her from her sleep.

"Come on Lily. It's only Daddy. No need to cry." He let her take hold of his finger and gently rocked her on the bed. She continued to cry so he picked up her and let her lean against his chest. He sang Twinkle Twinkle to her softly as he had found that this soothed her a lot. It seemed to work as she slowly quietened down, but that was until Elliot felt something warm and wet on his T-Shirt.

"What the fuck?! Seriously Lily?" He shouted as he lifted her away to find she had wet herself on his shirt. This caused her to start crying again. He gently laid her on the bed again before pulling his T-Shirt off.

"Great. Now I stink of pee." He said sarcastically. He threw his shirt to the side of the bed before grabbing the pot of cream. He stuck his finger in the pot and took a small amount before looking back towards Lily.

"You have got to be kidding me." Lily had also wet herself on the bed sheets. He quickly wiped the cream off his finger onto his jeans before picking the baby up.

"Note to self, put the nappy on as soon as the other one has come off." The back of her baby grow was wet so he gently pulled it up over her head, which she did not like at all. She started screaming louder than she already was. He took a deep breathe before grabbing the cream again. He quickly applied it to all the red areas before lifting her legs slightly and sliding the diaper underneath. He pulled the front up and looked for the tabs to secure it. Realising what he had done he sighed and hung his head.

"It helps if Daddy puts the diaper on the right way, doesn't it baby girl." He smiled at her before lifting her legs and turning the diaper around. He quickly secured it before pumping his fists in the air.

"And it's a success!" He exclaimed, feeling proud of himself. He actually changed her diaper, after a few mishaps. He slid his hand underneath her head and lifted her to lie against his chest, a hand each side of her head and her head lay on one side. Elliot lay back against the pillows on the bed and started gently stroking her back.

He had held her several times over the past two days but this felt different. He had heard his mother ramble on about the importance of skin on skin contact for mother's and their baby's. But this felt important to him. He felt more connected to Lily, who was currently lay on his bare chest in just her diaper. He was disturbed by a flash going off. He looked up and saw his Grandmother standing in the door way with her camera.

"I'm sorry darling, but I had to take a picture. Such a beautiful moment." She smiled sweetly. Elliot blushed slightly. He hadn't realised his Grandmother was looking in on such as personal and intimate moment with his daughter.

"Hey Grams?" He called out as she went to walk out of the room. She came back into the door way looking at him expectantly.

"Can you watch Lily for a little while? You've given me some inspiration to start taking photos. I mean every parent should take as many photos of their children as possible, right? And I need to go and get a new camera, I've got some money saved up but I didn't know what I wanted to do with it until now."

"Of course I will darling. Why don't you clean yourself up and I'll take her for a bath. It'll help settle her for the night." Elliot looked down at himself and realised how much of a mess he looked. He had a big white mark down his jeans where he had rubbed the cream off his finger, he had no T-Shirt on and he smelt slightly of pee.

"I guess I look a right state." He said as he stood and passed over the baby to his Grams.

"You look like a first time Dad. I lost count of the amount of times your mother wet herself on your Grandfather, you've got lots more to come. There's the spit up, food, juice. The list is endless." She laughed slightly at the look on his face.

"But she's worth every mess." He nodded his head, agreeing.

As he went to walk out into the hallway he quickly turned back. He dropped a kiss onto his daughter's head before placing one on his Grandmother's cheek.

"Thank you Grams. I don't know what me and Lily would do without you." He smiled before walking out again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Bit of a shorter chapter but I do aim to have another up either today or at the latest tomorrow. Thank you for being so patient with this story. K x**

As Elliot walked through the late night shopping mall, plastic bag in his hand, he heard his name being called out. He turned quickly and saw Chloe running down the pathway to catch up with him.

"Hello stranger, where have you been?" She smiled cheekily at him and winked. Chloe had been one of his 'friends' in high school. Elliot liked her but not enough for her to be girlfriend material. More like one date, bit of fun and then not call her for 2 weeks material.

"I've had things I need to do. Haven't seen anyone really. What have you been up to?" He asked out of politeness. He really wanted to get back to Lily. He had only been gone 2 hours yet he had this ache in his chest from being away from her. Chloe then went on to tell Elliot what seemed like every detail of the past few days. He half listened but his other half of attention was on Lily and whether she was okay or if her nappy rash was causing her problems again. He wondered if he should go and pick up some more cream in case his Grandma ran out.

"Why don't we go and get some pizza?" He was dragged out of his train of thought by Chloe holding his arm. He hesitated for a moment thinking of an answer. He couldn't let Chloe know about Lily, as it would be all over the town in seconds, knowing her. He didn't want people talking about him behind his back and bad mouthing Lily just yet. He knew it would come out eventually, but not now.

"I wish I could but I'm helping my Grandma out tonight and promised her I'd be there soon." Chloe pouted slightly at the rejection. She went to open her mouth to complain but Elliot's quick thinking kicked in.

"But how about tomorrow? Me, you, pizza and we can just... I don't know... spend some time together." He said, cupping her cheek, and switching on the Elliot charm. Chloe's eyes lit up at the idea of having a 'date' with Elliot. She nodded her head slightly, unable to say anything. She always had been so star struck whenever Elliot showed her some attention.

"Good, I'll pick you up around half 8 tomorrow from your house. That sound okay?" She nodded once again.

"Perfect. See you tomorrow Chlo." He said softly before quickly moving down and placing a quick kiss on her lips. He turned and smugly walked away, feeling quite proud of himself that he got out of pizza with her tonight. Only problem now he had to endure it tomorrow night. But he had planned it so he could put Lily to bed and then go out. Lily would never know he was gone, as he planned to be back by her next feed.

Once he got back into his truck he drove back to his Grandma's as quickly as possible to get back to his baby girl. He couldn't describe the feeling in his chest. It was an ache, right in the centre. The thought of being away from Lily troubled him, what if something happened whilst he wasn't there? Who was going to protect her? And what if something happened to him whilst he was out? Who would she have then?

Elliot shook his head at these thoughts and walked up the steps to his Grandparent's house and walked in. He was met once again by the sound he hated, Lily's cries. He looked into the living room and saw his Grandmother trying to calm her by rubbing her back and bouncing her slightly.

"Oh thank goodness you're back. She's been like this since you left. I haven't a clue what is wrong with the poor girl but she will just not settle. I haven't even bathed her yet." Elliot switched into Daddy gear and took Lily into his arms. He allowed one of her arms to rest underneath one of his and let her snuggle right into his shoulder. He placed a kiss on her head before keeping his head near hers.

"Its okay baby girl. Daddy's back. He's so sorry he left you. Never again okay? I'll never leave you again." He whispered.

"Its okay now Grams. You go get yourself a cup of tea and have a break. Thank you for looking after her and I'm sorry she wouldn't settle."

"Not a problem my dear." She smiled in the way only Grandmothers can and then walked from the room. Elliot settled onto the couch with Lily, who was softly whimpering at this point. He gently rocked his arms and hummed a random tune. He loved moments like this, just him and his daughter and not a care in the world. He wished it could stay like this forever, but he knew it couldn't. He knew she had to grow up, and then she wouldn't need him. And that was his biggest fear of all. The day his daughter turned around and said she didn't need her Daddy any more.

Elliot shook his head slightly to banish the bad thoughts away. That moment was years away, he should enjoy the moments he had right now, like this one. Lily had settled completely now and was just staring up at her father. Elliot looked right back at her and a smile spread across his face. He never knew a person could make him this happy, yet just looking at her made his soul light up.


	10. Chapter 10

**So as promised here is another chapter. I'm quite happy with this chapter and I hope you all enjoy it. I want to put out there I don't plan on writing any intimate scenes in this story but I do have a sequel planned and that will include some. Thanks K x**

Elliot walked in from the bathroom with Lily wrapped warmly in a towel. He'd just finished bathing her for the first time with the help of his Grandma. He was quite impressed with how he coped, he wasn't drenched and he hadn't lost his patience when Lily screamed the whole way through. She definitely was not a water baby.

He made quick work of drying her off, paying attention to in-between her fingers and toes under his Grandma's instructions. He then put a clean diaper on her and a clean sleep suit. He picked her up off the bed and gave her a quick kiss on the head. He loved the way she smelt and wondered if all baby's smelt like this or if it was just his little girl.

Lily's bottle was made in record time and 20 minutes after getting her out of the bath Elliot was settled on the bed feeding Lily. He hummed to himself yet again, it had become a habit whenever he was having a quiet moment with Lily. He felt it soothed not only her but himself as well. He looked down at Lily and studied her. She was half asleep drinking her bottle so her small eyelashes lay against her cheeks. She had a very fine layer of blonde hair on her head. You couldn't notice it unless you really looked. Her tiny lips were wrapped around the nipple of the bottle, sucking eagerly away. In Elliot's opinion she had perfect lips. She had a very defined cupids bow giving her lips the overstated shape of pouted lips. But to Elliot they were perfect, and he couldn't wait for the day she would kiss him on the cheek and tell him she loved her Daddy. He also wondered what she would look like as she grew up. Deep down he hoped she would look like him as she grew up. Looking like Beth would just make it harder as she may ask where she got her brown hair from when her Daddy's was blonde, or why did she have a different colour eyes to her Daddy.

He noticed she had finished with her bottle so put it on the bed side cabinet and picked her up to sit on his lap slightly. He placed one hand under her chin gently and proceeded to wind her. She was a relatively easy baby to wind. She always gave up her wind quite quickly meaning Elliot didn't have to battle with her. Once she was winded her settled her into her Moses' basket and watched over her until he was sure she had drifted off to sleep. When he looked up at the clock he saw it was 8:10pm. He sighed to himself. He really didn't want to go and have pizza with Chloe but he knew he couldn't drop out, otherwise she keep pestering until he rescheduled.

He slipped into a white dress shirt over his dark jeans and put his black smart shoes. Regardless of whether or not he wanted to go he dressed smartly. He couldn't let his reputation be ruined. He squirted a small amount of aftershave on and picked up his wallet off the bedside cabinet. He slid it into his back pocket as he walked out of the room, but not before checking in on Lily to make sure she was still sleeping.

"Grams, I won't be too late. I'll be back for Lily's next feed so she shouldn't be a bother. Thanks for this." He smiled at her before walking out of the front door. He jumped into his truck and sighed as he started it up. He would much rather be lay in bed watching his daughter sleep right now rather than having to go on this date.

He pulled up at Chloe's house and honked his horn. He never bothered to go to her front door for fear of meeting one of her parent's. If he did then it would give off the message of wanting to start a relationship with Chloe, and he definitely did not want that. He didn't do relationships. The front door was pulled open and she came bouncing out, dressed in a flowery dress. She jumped in the truck and after a very energetic 'hi' gave him a kiss on the cheek. He grunted a greeting back before pulling away.

"The pizza here is absolutely to die for." Chloe squealed as they pulled up at a small diner not far from Chloe's house. They both got out of the truck and Chloe clasped hold of Elliot's hand, who loosely held hers back. He had a feeling he was really going to regret tonight but there was no turning back now. Elliot slid into one side of a booth and expected Chloe to get into the other, but she sat right next to him and pulled his arm around her.

"This is nice, I'm glad we did this." She beamed up at him.

"Me too." He smiled back although in his head he was bashing it against the table. They ordered their pizza and made small talk between sips of coke.

"So, I saw Jake today and told him I'd seen you. He wants to know why you haven't been out or haven't called him. Everyone's noticed you haven't been in school either. Where have you been?" She asked as she twirled her hair around her fingers trying to look innocent. Elliot's subconscious snickered. There was not one thing remotely innocent about Chloe. If her parents knew some of the things they had done in the back of his truck, they might just have a heart attack.

"Just a family problem. It'll be sorted soon but I don't know when I'll be back to school." 'If I ever am.' He thought to himself. He'd much rather stay at home and care for Lily than have to go back to school and leave her with someone else 5 days a week. Their pizza came and Elliot ate in silence whilst Chloe continued to talk. 'Has she always talked this much?' He thought to himself. Maybe she had but he had listened every other time. Tonight he had other things on his mind like if Lily was okay, but also what he was going to do about school.

After paying the bill they both got back into the truck. Elliot didn't even realise what he was doing but before he knew it they had pulled up to a car park just near a forest. He hadn't planned to come here, he did plan to take her straight home. This was the car park he always drove to after a date with Chloe to have a little 'fun' in the back seat. It must have been a natural instinct to drive here. He then noticed Chloe undoing her seatbelt and climbing over into the back seats.

"Come on then Stud. It's rude to keep a girl waiting." She winked at him. Elliot clicked his seatbelt out before stopping. What was he doing? He didn't plan this tonight, he wanted to get back to Lily as soon as possible. But then again... it had been 6 weeks since he was last with a girl. He stared out of the front window for a few minutes deciding.

"Elliot, come on." Chloe snapped at him. He groaned to himself as he pushed himself into the back seat. He pressed his lips to Chloe's in a passionate kiss whilst shouting at himself inside his head. He had no will power at all when it came to girls.

But maybe that wasn't such a bad thing as Chloe reached for his belt.


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm so sorry this update is so late but I've had my younger sister staying with me and have been spending some time with her. There were some reviews questioning Elliot's actions in the last chapter. I explained that I was going to try and keep to the original story as much as possible so I felt that Elliot should still be the lady lover we all adore. Also I'm going to try and start updating once a week of a Thursday as that is my day off and I will have time to write. So another chapter will be up tomorrow to make up for this late update. Thanks, K x**

Elliot pulled his pants up and fastened his belt, muttering to himself. He was so angry with himself. He couldn't believe he had such little will power with Chloe. He looked on the floor for his shirt and when he couldn't find it he turned to the girl lay across the back of his truck.

Chloe was lay wearing nothing but his white button up shirt and had her legs spread across Elliot's. She was still trying to catch her breathe.

"Chlo... Can I have my shirt back please?" He asked, trying not to look her in the eye. He was so ashamed of himself. He just wanted to get out of here and back to Lily. She smirked at him before reaching up to cup his neck.

"Its only half 10 El, surely we have more time?" She whispered trying to plant her lips on his again.

"No, come on. I need to get home." He said gently moving her hand from his neck. When she wouldn't let him go he shoved her back.

"Chloe just give me my fucking shirt!" He snapped at her. Her face dropped as she realised he was rejecting her. She unbuttoned the shirt and passed it to him before quickly grabbing her dress and covering herself. They both got dressed in silence before Elliot climbed over the seats back into the driver seat. He started up the truck and reversed before Chloe even had a chance to get back into her seat.

"Elliot! What the hell?!" She screeched as she fell across the back seat.

"I just wanna get home Chlo." He said to her, concentrating on the road. He had done some questionable things in the past but this topped them all. Chloe climbed over back into her seat as he pulled into her road. He stopped in front of her house and just stared out of the front window. He then rested his head against the steering wheel and let out a long frustrated moan. Chloe looked at him concerned. She knew she was just a hook up to him but that didn't mean she cared any less about him.

"El, babe, what's going on? You've been off all night." She said quietly, resting her hand against his on the steering wheel. She then rubbed his back slightly, subconsciously trying to get him to talk to her.

"Tonight was a mistake, a huge mistake." He mumbled. Chloe couldn't help the stab of rejection and pain through her chest but choked it down.

"Why?" Elliot took a few deep breathes and turned his head to look her. Could he trust her? He knew she was a big gossip but he honestly couldn't remember a time when someone had mentioned him hooking up with her. So she must of kept that to herself, right?

"Chlo, its nothing against you, I swear. And I'm sorry if I've been off or rude to you tonight. Its just..." He stopped again looking down at his lap. How could he put it into words?

He couldn't. He just didn't know how so he turned the engine on and pulled away from the kirb again. Chloe didn't say anything and just let him do his own thing. She trusted him and knew she wouldn't hurt him.

When they turned up at his Grandparent's house he jumped out and Chloe followed closely behind. As he reached the door he turned abruptly and stared down at her, a serious look on his face.

"Chloe, you really can't tell anyone about this. When you see you'll understand why. But I'm begging you, please don't tell anyone." She looked back up at him and nodded slightly.

"I promise." She could see how serious he was so knew this was something important. Elliot was known as a bit of a goof ball so when he went serious, you knew it was something important. He opened the front door and held it open for her before stepping in and shutting it behind him. The sound of the front door must have startled his Grandfather as he stepped out of the living room, looking quite shocked when he saw his Grandson had brought home a lady friend with him.

"How has she been?" Elliot asked, shoving his car keys back in his pocket.

"Not a squeak from her. Elliot, what's going on?" He asked slightly concerned.

"It's not what you think Gramps." He smiled slightly before grabbing Chloe's hand and leading her to his room. Chloe followed quietly wondering who Elliot was talking about before. They walked into his room and Elliot walked straight to the other side of the bed. Chloe followed him round and quickly raised her hand to her mouth in shock.

Elliot picked up Lily and held her close to him. She had been wide awake when he walked in but seemed quite content just lying in her Moses basket. He sat down on the bed before looking up at Chloe.

"You can sit down if you want." He said quietly. Chloe slowly moved to sit next to him and then looked down at the baby lay against his chest. Lily was looking in her direction and Chloe could see straight away this baby looked exactly like her father.

"Who?" She whispered, still slightly in shock.

"Beth." It pained Elliot to say her name. He figured he would never get over what she had done to him. She just abandoned her baby and left, in Elliot's eyes that was unforgivable. He looked back at Chloe who was staring at him.

"This is why I've been off school. Beth just turned up and left her with me. I can't abandon her Chlo, I'm all she's got. I've been learning to look after her, and yeah I've screwed up a few times but I'm getting the hang of it. And to be honest I don't think I'll be back to school. I don't want to leave her, I want to spend every second of my day with her." She slowly nodded along, understanding everything now. No wonder he had been so off, he had been worried about the baby. They both sat on the edge of the bed for a few minutes not saying anything. Just watching Lily as her eyes slowly began to drop shut even though she fought it with everything she had. When she had eventually fallen asleep Elliot settled her back down.

"So, I should take you home now." He said turning to Chloe who stood up straight away.

"Yeah." She said quietly looking down at her feet.

They both got back in the truck and 10 minutes later they pulled up, once again, to Chloe's house. She jumped out without saying anything and started to walk down her pathway. Elliot jumped out, slightly confused.

"Chloe, hey!" He shouted out, jogging after her and grabbing her arm turning her to him.

"You're not even going to say goodbye?" He asked, concerned by the look on her face. She looked as if she was about to burst into tears any second. And she did just that. She started crying and buried herself in his chest. His immediate reaction was to wrap his arms around her and stroke her hair.

"I'm sorry El but I can't see you any more. I don't want what you've been left with. Don't get me wrong the baby is gorgeous but I can't risk that happening to me. I'm going to lay off the guys for a while." She hiccuped slightly whilst twisting his shirt between her fingers.

"Don't worry about it. I understand. I'm staying away from girls myself now. But tonight was fun, yeah?" He asked looking down at her. She blushed slightly before nodding her head.

"Good, I've gotta get back to Lily. I'll hopefully see you soon okay?" She nodded before placing a kiss on his cheek. He smiled slightly, watching her walk back into her house before turning to return home himself.


	12. Chapter 12

**So as promised here is another chapter. I quite like this chapter. Just a quick reassurance though, don't worry about what happens. It'll all work out in the end. :) K x**

Elliot turned the steering wheel to pull into his parent's drive way. He had been dreading this moment ever since his father had called him yesterday. Lily was currently under the care of his Grandmother who had offered to watch her whilst he went and had a serious conversation with his parents. When he had turned the engine off he felt the sickness creeping up his throat but he forced it back down.

Entering the front door it was eerily quiet. Usually you could hear Mia chatting away, or his father shouting at someone down the phone. But today there was no noise, and Elliot hated it. He slowly walked towards the kitchen where he would usually find his Mother. Elliot nervously laughed to himself when he thought that the walk seemed like the walk to the electric chair.

When he walked into the kitchen he saw both his mother and his father sat at the table, both with a cup of tea clutched in their hands chatting quietly. They stopped talking when they saw him in the doorway and it once again went silent. His mother smiled at him slightly.

"I'm so glad you decided to come sweetheart, come sit down. Would you like a drink?" She asked him but only received a shake of the head as he sat down uncomfortably. 'This isn't right' he thought to himself. This was his home yet he felt like an intruder, a stranger to these people. Them kicking him out must have affected him more than he thought.

"We asked you to come over today so we can discuss the situation with Lily and what's going to happen now things have changed." Elliot nodded at his father, keeping his eyes on the table.

"How are you coping on your own with Lily?" His father asked.

"Okay I guess. I can make her bottle, feed her, change her, wind her, bath her all on my own now. Grandma doesn't really need to do much but she had been a great help, like today."

"I wish you would have brought Lily to see us Elliot." His mother said sternly.

"I mean she is our Granddaughter..."

"And she's my daughter. I didn't feel comfortable bringing her when things between us aren't resolved." He interrupted quickly. He wasn't going to let his mother start dictating what he should and shouldn't do with his own child. He had learnt that she was his responsibility and it was time he started standing up and making the right decisions regarding her.

"Let's not start this chat with an argument please. Gracie you have to learn to respect any decisions that Elliot makes about Lily. He is her parent, not you." Carrick said reaching over and grabbing her hand gently.

"Now I think one of the main issues we need to address her is your schooling Elliot. You've missed a lot of school and we need to decide what to do about that."

"I'm not going back to school. I've thought about it and I've decided. I don't want to start leaving Lily 5 days a week for 8 hours a day. It'll be too confusing for her and I've got no one to look after her and it's not like I can afford child care. I mean paying for things like milk and diapers is already making a dint on my savings."

"Elliot we've been giving you money to support Lily. What have you been doing with that?" His father asked sternly. He had tried to bring his children up to learn the value of money and he would be so angry if Elliot had been splashing about the money that was meant for his daughter.

"I want to support her myself. I'm her Dad, that's what I'm supposed to do. And the money you've been giving me I've been putting away. I don't know what for yet, maybe for Lily in the future or maybe I can save up enough for my own place." Elliot shrugged slightly. He knew what he wanted. A small place when Lily could have her own room, decorated fit for the princess she is. And a garden where she could run around and play, have tea parties with her dolls and play on the swing set Elliot would build just for her. That was the dream right now and Elliot would work as hard as possible to get it.

"You've got a year and a half to go Elliot before you finish high school. And then there's college to thing about. You can't throw it all away now. You've worked so hard." His mother said softly.

"I'm not going back to school Mum."

"No, I won't let you throw your life away. I'm your mother and its my responsibility to make sure you make the most of your life and not waste it. I've decided to take a leave of absence off work so I can care for Lily whilst you carry on with school. I'll notify the hospital and you can move back in tomorrow so you can get back to school next week." She said firmly, banging her hand down on the table. Carrick shook his head slightly and rubbed his forehead. Elliot just looked at her as if she had 2 heads.

"First of all, looking after my daughter is not a waste of my life. Is that was I was to you? A waste of your life? And second of all you do not make any decisions regarding who cares for my daughter. When will you get it into your head she's my child? Not yours!" Elliot shouted the last sentence to try and get the point across. He stood up quickly, his chair dragging across the floor.

"I'm done here. I'm going back to Lily. If you decide to change your mind about controlling my life then you know where to find me. If not then stay away from me and my daughter." He said before walking out of the house.

Grace and Carrick sat there in silence. Carrick was still rubbing his head, shocked at how stupid and controlling his wife was. He stood up, put his cup next to the sink and walked towards the kitchen door.

"I warned you Grace." He said before walking towards the stairs. Grace quickly jumped up after him.

"Carrick wait, please! I don't know what came over me!" She shouted as she chased him up the stairs. She followed him into their bedroom where she found him pulling a suitcase out.

"Carrick don't do this. I'm sorry, I'll change." She pleaded, the tears starting to run down her face. She tried to reach for his arm but he pulled it out of her grip. He carried on placing things in the suitcase.

"I warned you if you messed this up, tried to control him then that was it. But you never listen do you? Well I can't take it any more. As far as I'm concerned right now we're separated. I'll give it 6 weeks and if you can't change to help our son, our family and become the woman I married, then I'm filing for divorce. You brought this all on yourself Grace." He said to her before zipping up his bag.

"I'll be back to have dinner with Mia and Christian tomorrow." He said before walking out of the bedroom, leaving Grace sat on the bed, clutching her arms and crying.


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm back! I'm now back at university after my trip home. I'm very happy to say that my Grandma is now out of the woods and ****slowly**** on the mend. I emphasise slowly as it will be a long time before she is back to normal but at least she is still here with us. Thank you so much for the support. It was a difficult time but all of your messages gave me the positivity I needed. I have to apologise now as I only managed to get one chapter complete and it isn't my best. Alongside my family problems I'm having a tiny bit of writers block. But I have a day off tomorrow so I should be able to write another chapter and get a little plan together of where I am taking this story and when I will end it and start the sequel. Once again thank you for the support and decication to the story, it is much appreciated. K x**

It had been particularly quiet in the Grey house. It had been ever since Elliot left, and everyone had noticed it. Mia refused to speak to Grace, it was her reaction to her father leaving. Grace and Carrick had tried so hard to keep the children's routine as normal as possible. Carrick arrived at the house before they woke and left after they had gone to bed. But that didn't stop the hurt Mia felt. She always had been a Daddy's girl and now the thought of not seeing her Daddy was too much for her to bare.

She had shut herself off from everyone, including Christian. The only person she showed any remote form of emotion to was Carrick. He always got a hug and a kiss when she saw him, but her bubbly personality had gone. That's what hurt Carrick and Grace the most, not the breakdown of their marriage but the effect it was having on their daughter.

Christian had got into a lot of trouble in the past few weeks since their separation. He got into fight after fight and as a consequence he was currently helping Grace's friend clear out her back garden. It seemed to calm him as he wasn't as aggressive any more and his school work had actually improved, only slightly but it was an improvement.

Elliot hadn't been to the house in over a week. He couldn't stand the atmosphere, and he certainly didn't want Lily around that. He still hadn't returned to school and was now a Dad 24/7. His connection with Lily now was unbreakable, he calmed her better than anyone and it was exactly the same the other way round. Whenever Elliot felt slightly annoyed one look at Lily would calm him.

A loud crash disturbed the Grey household on a quiet Saturday morning. Grace ran out of the kitchen at the same time as Carrick came out of his study. He took one look her and knew she was thinking the same thing."Christian." He stated before running up the stairs followed closely by Grace. It surprised both of them to see Christian running out of his room, the crashing continuing.

"What's going on?" He asked, just as confused as his parents. They all turned their heads in the direction of the noise, Mia's room.

They all sprinted in expecting the worst to find Mia hurt. But the sight before them was quite the opposite. Mia was repeatedly stamping and kicking her beloved doll's house that should have been on her window sill, parts of it flying everywhere. With all her strength she kicked off the sides, the roof, the insides, destroying every part of it. Amongst all of the noise her sobs could be heard. She sounded broken.

"Carrick stop her." Grace cried out, shocking him from his frozen state. Carrick quickly jumped into action and wrapped his arms around her tiny frame, picking her up and pulling her backwards away from the remains of her dolls house.

"Mia, calm down baby. Just calm down." Carrick whispered to her as he sank to the floor and cradled her in his arms. She continued to shake in his arms as she left out sobs, screams and shudders. Carrick looked up at Grace, scared out of his mind. He had never seen Mia this hysterical before. Sure he had seen Christian like this but never Mia, she was always the one who kept her temper.

"Give her here. I think you should go." Grace said to her husband as she stepped forwards but this caused Mia to scream louder.

"No! Daddy! Please don't leave me Daddy!" She cried as she clung to him. Tears welled up in Grace's eyes as she stepped backwards again, stunned by her daughter's rejection. Carrick gently rubbed her back as he rocked her.

"I'm not going anywhere Mia, but you need to calm down. Come on, deep breathes. In and out, in and out." He instructed her as he looked at her. They sat there for a few minutes breathing together until she had calmed. She then snuggled into him before closing her eyes.

"Please Daddy don't go. Come back and live with us please. I miss you." she sniffled as she slowly drifted off, obviously exhausted from her rage. After making sure she was definitely asleep Carrick lifted her and put her into bed. He gently stroked her hair before looking up at Grace, who was gently shaking her head and sniffling.

"Christian, I believe you're due at the Lincoln's right now. Off you go." He said quietly as he escorted his wife out of the room by her arm.

"We need to talk." He said gently whilst they walked towards the bedroom they hadn't shared in 3 weeks. Grace settled herself on the end of the bed next to Carrick. They both took a deep breathe before it went silent again.

"What do we do Gracie? This family is falling apart." He said quietly. He had always prided himself on being the strong link of the family but he was slowly getting weaker and weaker. He may have been the one to walk away from their marriage but that didn't mean it was any less difficult for him. He missed his wife, sleeping next to her, hearing her laugh, holding her hand as they stole a quiet moment to watch television.

"I'm trying Cary, I'm trying so hard to change. I promise. I've backed down on Elliot. Mum told me had been struggling with how to look after her when she had that cold last week. So I suggested a class to him, I didn't just dive in like I usually do. Please believe me." She pleaded with him. She had been trying everything she could to get her family back together. Carrick sighed before wrapping an arm around her.

"I know you have Gracie. I can see the change. But is it enough to get us back?"

"Yes, please. Just give me another chance. I won't mess it up this time, I promise." She grasped his hand tightly, trying to get him to look at her.

"I love you Gracie, so much." He whispered.

"I love you too. Please." A smile spread across her face as he slowly nodded.

"Okay, I'll try, for us. But this is the last chance. I swear."

"I know." She smiled before cupping his cheek and planting her lips on his.


	14. Chapter 14

**I've finally got a plan so I know what I am doind with this story now. There will be a total of 20 chapters and then it will end. But fear not as I will then be starting a sequel which I am very excited about. The sequel will be about Lily aged 17 and her finding herself falling in love with another character who I think a lot of people will find surprising. Review in your guesses on who it may be but I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the story before you find out. Thanks, K x**

"Are you ready baby girl? Aunty Mia and Grandma are coming today to see you." Elliot cooed over Lily who was lay on the bed in a pink dress with white tights underneath. He had put this outfit on her specifically as it was an outfit Mia had picked out for her.

He had spoken to his father about Mia's breakdown and they thought it best if she visited him for a little bit as it may calm her to have some normality of spending time with her brother. So Grace was bringing her over to have lunch with Elliot at their Grandmother's house and to spend some time with her niece. Elliot still found it weird to call Mia an Aunty. She was still so young it just didn't seem right.

Elliot was slightly disappointed that Christian wasn't joining them but apparently he had offered to do some extra work at the Lincoln's house, which Elliot found odd. Christian wasn't a lazy person but he wasn't the type of person to go out of his way to do some extra work for someone. He missed his brother. He knew they hadn't really had the chance to spend some time together since their fight and Elliot wanted to make things right. He had learned that life was too short to hold grudges and he didn't want anything to happen when there was still conflict between them.

Elliot quickly shook out of his daze and smiled down at his daughter. He hadn't realised just how long his patience was until he started caring Lily. He could put up with her screaming now, he didn't like it but he didn't lose his temper like he used to. The past few weeks had really helped him become a better parent and he knew now he could be a good father to Lily and give her a good life.

"Elliot!" He heard a squeal and knew straight away it came from the mouth of his sister. Nobody could hit a note like that except Mia. He smiled to himself as he laid Lily in her Moses basket and wondered into the hall way. As he walked down the stairs he saw Mia hopping from one foot to another. As soon as she saw him she beamed up at him and eagerly awaited for him to finish walking down the stairs. She tightly wrapped his arms around Elliot's neck as he bent down to her level.

"I missed you Mia." Elliot whispered to her as he lifted her into his arms. Mia always argued that she was a big girl now but he knew she would never be too old to be lifted up by him and cuddled. It was the one time she didn't argue about her age, when she was in his arms.

"I missed you too." She whispered back. He expected her to start ranting about wanting to see Lily. But instead she just stayed in his arms quietly hugging him back. It was moment's like these that Elliot truly understood how much his life had changed and how he needed to balance it. Him and Mia had always been close and he needed to make sure that he kept that up. He couldn't let Mia feel left out by his relationship with Lily, but then he couldn't neglect Lily the attention she needed. It was a tough job but he felt like he was doing a good job, even if he hadn't seen Mia in a while.

Elliot pulled back slightly so he could look at her face and gently stroked her cheek.

"Me and you need to have a chat later. About a certain doll's house, okay?" He said gently. He didn't want to upset her but he knew that he needed to talk to her about her outburst. Mia's cheeks turned pink and she nodded gently.

"You're not in trouble baby girl. I just want to know what's going round that big head of yours." He smirked slightly when she lightly slapped his shoulder.

"Everyone knows you're the one with the big head in the family Lelliot." She giggled before wiggling out of his arms.

"Is Lily in your room?" She asked eagerly as she climbed the stairs. It was then Elliot noticed his mother stood behind where Mia was stood.

"Yeah, don't pick her up though. I'll be there in a second." He shouted to her as she disappeared down the hallway upstairs. He didn't take his eyes of his mother for one second though. They both stood in silence waiting for the other to speak. Elliot examined her face, looking for a sign of disappointment, anger, anything negative. But instead her saw her kind eyes and warm smile.

"Hello sweet boy. How are you?" She asked as she placed her handbag on the table in her parent's hallway. It was then that Elliot took slow steps towards her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and bent down to rest his head on her shoulder.

"Please can we not fight any more? I hate not speaking to you. I love you Mum." He whispered quietly whilst Grace wrapped her arms around her shoulders and stroked his curly hair.

"I love you too baby boy. I promise no more fighting." They stood like this for a minute before Elliot pulled away. He opened his mouth to say something when he was disturbed by a loud startled scream from Lily followed by Mia shouting his name out in a panic. He quickly turned and sprinted up the stairs, followed more slowly by his mother.

When he burst into the bedroom he found Lily still lying in her Moses basket scream and Mia stood next to it with a scared look on her face.

"What happened?" He asked quickly whilst scooping Lily up.

"She just sneezed and then started screaming! I didn't touch her I swear!" Mia cried out, worried her older brother was angry at her. Elliot let out a breathe of relief followed by a chuckle.

"Its okay Mia baby. She just scared herself sneezing. She hasn't really done it before so it must have scared her a lot." Elliot smiled as he stroked Lily's head and soothed her.

"You want to hold her?" He asked from which he got a very eager nod.

"Okay, sit back against the head board, and then put this pillow on your lap." He said as he moved her and then gently placed Lily in Mia's arms, resting against the pillow. He then stepped back from the bed and smiled. He grabbed his new camera and after telling Mia to say cheese snapped some pictures for the album he was making. He turned to see Grace standing in the door way. She smiled sweetly at him as she rested her hand on his arm.

"You're doing good baby. I'm proud of you." She said quietly causing Elliot to grin. He knew then it was the start of a new beginning. Or so he thought.


End file.
